Sporadic outbreaks of illness resulting from microbial contamination of food products are a continuing source of medical and public health concern. Pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and bacterial spores are responsible for a plethora of human and animal ills, as well as contamination of food and biological and environmental samples. Microbial infections generally begin with attachment or colonization in mucus membranes followed by subsequent invasion and dissemination of the infectious microbe. The portals of entry of pathogenic microbes include mucus membranes and the digestive tract. Food preparations whether for human consumption or for livestock feed are prone to microbial contamination and can often introduce the human or animal tissue.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need to inhibit microbial growth in food stocks. There is also a simultaneous need to provide antimicrobial assistance to humans and animals infected by pathogenic microbes. The present invention provides antimicrobial compounds and compositions useful in inhibiting growth of microbes.